Field of the Invention
This invention relates to articles such as apparel articles and, more particularly, to a method of adorning such articles.
Background Art
The apparel industry continues to be one of the most competitive consumer industries worldwide. Appearance is generally the most critical selling point for virtually all apparel. As a result, the industry has invested, and continues to invest, enormous sums in different ways to adorn apparel to make it more visually appealing than the apparel of their competitors.
Toward this end, a primary focus has been upon discrete adornment that is provided on virtually all types of apparel. This category includes a wide range of adornment types. The adornment may be in the form of a logo, informational lettering, an eye-catching design, representations of persons, places, and things, etc.
Most commonly, this type of ornamentation is applied on a continuous exposed surface of the article. That surface is normally defined by a layer that may be a cloth material, leather, etc.
As one example, ornamentation is commonly formed by embroidering a pattern upon such exposed, substrate surfaces. The embroidery process may utilize threads that contrast with the color and/or texture of the exposed substrate layer to produce an obvious contrast to highlight the added material.
Embroidery has some inherent drawbacks. First of all, embroidery equipment involves a significant financial investment. Further, the embroidery process typically produces a noticeable 3-dimensional projection on the substrate surface which is a look that may not always be desired. Additionally, it is difficult to make a sharp and distinct transition between the embroidered thread and the edge thereof at which the substrate is exposed. Instead, a somewhat rough edge is commonly produced which is worsened by thicker threads. Still further, it is difficult to form intricate shapes using the embroidery process, particularly when the shapes have a small footprint.
Another problem that arises with embroidery relates to the cutting of substrates to appropriately match an embroidered pattern. Oftentimes embroidered patterns are applied in varying free form designs. It may be difficult thereafter to set up the cutting equipment to make a desired matching perimeter edge, particularly since embroidered patterns may become random and numerous. Potentially, dies would be required for each variation.
As one example, the substrate is cut first to a particular embroidery pattern to be made. Precise alignment is required to properly match the cut substrate with the embroidery equipment. This can become expensive and lead to rejects and high cost per unit.
Woven ornamentation can be formed using a process that allows rather intricate shapes to be precisely formed with sharp transition edges, even with a design having a small areal extent. The weaving process is one that generally involves high end equipment that, as embroidery, demands a significant up-front equipment investment.
Another widely used method of producing ornamentation is to perform a screen printing operation. Once again, it is difficult to form precise shapes using this process. Further, the overall quality of screen printed ornamentation is generally less than that of the counterparts made by embroidery and weaving processes. Additionally, the integrity of the screen printed material depends upon the tenacity of its adherence to the substrate. On cloth, the degree of adherence is difficult to control. Even in a best case situation, over time, the screen printed material is prone to cracking, being rubbed off, and/or fading, which may detract significantly from the overall appearance of the associated article.
It is also known to pre-form adornment pieces that are subsequently applied to articles, as by stitching. Adornment of this type is made in a number of different manners and will commonly be pre-formed using one of the above techniques to produce a contrasting design on cloth, leather, or other sheet material.
The industry continues to seek out improved techniques for creating and applying ornamentation to all types of apparel articles, such as headwear, shirts, pants, blouses, accessories, etc. The driving design objectives are typically to produce a high quality, long lasting ornamentation that can be applied at a reasonable price.